SE BREAKS OUT BATS, BREAKS DOWN SIU 8-6

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Southeast Missouri State University baseball coach Mark Hogan figures the Indians broke out of their brief offensive funk at just the right time.

The Indians, held to just one run during last Saturday's doubleheader loss at Belmont, tuned up for a huge weekend series by knocking off host Southern Illinois 8-6 on an extremely windy Wednesday afternoon at Abe Martin Field.

Southeast, which will host Middle Tennessee in a key Ohio Valley Conference series this weekend, improved to 18-7 with the non-league victory.

SIU, which won both contests against Southeast last year, fell to 12-16 as the Salukis suffered their 13 loss in the last 18 games.

"We stalled a little bit (last Saturday), but I'm really excited about the way we were able to get things going today, especially with the big series coming up this weekend," said Hogan. "It's kind of like a shooting slump in basketball, where things multiply when you're not going well.

"I think it was a relief for the whole ballclub to get back on track today. We needed this kind of game and it's a good win for us."

While the Indians did not exactly hammer the baseball Wednesday, they were solid offensively with 11 hits against four SIU hurlers.

Denver Stuckey, a redshirt freshman third baseman from Kelly High School who had struggled offensively during the early part of the season, continued his recent resurgence with a career-high three hits.

Stuckey, who raised his average 40 points to near the .200 mark with the big performance, also stole three bases and scored two runs.

"What we saw from Denver today, we've seen in practice," said Hogan. "It's nice for him to have a day like this."

Said a smiling Stuckey, "I feel a lot more comfortable at the plate now. It's nice to help out and it's good to beat SIU and to win a game like this in tough conditions."

Kevin Meyer had two hits for Southeast, including a two-run home run.

"We didn't hit the ball well over the weekend and we wanted to be aggressive today," said Meyer. "We've got a huge weekend coming up and it's nice we played well today."

Darin Kinsolving and Shane Allen each had two hits and two RBIs for the Indians.

"For us to put that (last Saturday's games) behind us and get a win shows a lot of character on this team," said Kinsolving. "SIU got us twice last year, and for guys coming back from that team, this was big. We didn't want to lose to an area rival."

Hogan, with this weekend's series in mind, used five pitchers, including normal conference starters Dan Huesgen, Lanson Debrock and Tommy Thomas.

Thomas started and worked four innings, allowing five hits and three runs. He struck out three and walked one.

Jeffrey Hilz (4-1) hurled the next two innings and got the win. He allowed two hits and an unearned run.

Huesgen pitched a scoreless seventh, Debrock gave up a two-run homer to Jeff Houston in the eighth and Augie Casson notched his first save with a scoreless ninth.

Meanwhile, SIU -- with no Missouri Valley Conference games on tap this weekend -- started its ace hurler, Anna-Jonesboro High product Jake Alley, who entered the contest with an earned-run average of less than 3.00.

Alley, who did not figure into the decision, allowed four hits and three runs in four innings. He fanned three and walked four.

"I thought we did some things against a very good pitcher," Hogan said.

Ryan Aird (0-1) took the loss, allowing three runs on just one hit in 2 1/3 innings.

Southeast fell behind 3-0 after three innings as the Indians' scoreless streak reached 16 innings.

But the Indians finally broke through with a three-run fourth that tied things. Stuckey delivered a two-out RBI single that scored Allen, who had walked leading off, and then Meyer belted his two-run homer, an opposite-field shot to left that knifed through the wind.

"I didn't think it would go," said Meyer, laughing. "There was a jetstream every once in a while and I think I got it up there."

Southeast took a 4-3 lead in the fifth as Kinsolving's sacrifice fly scored Jeremy Johnson, who had walked.

SIU tied it in the bottom of the fifth with an unearned run off Hilz.

The Indians then took the lead for good with a three-run seventh. Clemente Bonilla led off with a walk and Johnson reached on a ground ball that forced Bonilla at second. Johnson should have been doubled up, but shortstop Luke Nelson threw in the dirt to first after stepping on second.

Charlie Marino was hit by a pitch and Kinsolving's single scored Johnson to break the 4-4 tie. Marino and Kinsolving then pulled off a double steal -- the Indians stole six bases without being caught -- and Allen delivered a big single that plated two runs, making it 7-4.

Southeast added an insurance tally in the eighth and was able to withstand a two-run SIU burst in the bottom of the frame.

Nelson and Scott Boyd each had three of SIU's nine hits.